Audio Troy Capital Audio Fest the good, the bad and the ugly!

gnjtack,

For whatever it is worth, your room sounded just fine to me (on friday). If that was the low, you are doing good.

jacksky,

"Drastically lower cost to hold event, much easier for exhibitors to bring their gear and less hassle for attendees."

I wonder if New York show, being in Manhattan, is actually less hassle for attendees. New Yorkers often do not have a car, bridge and tunnels are to be avoided, etc. This way, potential attendees can take a subway from most anywhere in the city. Why put a show on the weekend after CAF is puzzling. Even those living at walking distance from the venue may not feel an itch to visit, once they have been to CAF a week prior to that. I guess, the aim may be New Yorkers who do not like traveling.

I have a car with cassette player. I use CD changer. Cassette player is too advanced, it fast forwards between the songs.

Back on track, Capital Audio Fest track that is, I felt bad for Zu Audio people. I am sure those speakers can sound good, but the way it was presented there was sad. It was not room, it was a ballroom with two relatively small speakers and a few chairs tucked in one small area.

I hate to see geoffkait’s making a point and it being half-valid. At the same time, it was interesting to hear different systems at the show. Each one of them could have probably been even better under better circumstances, but as a day or two of entertainment, they were just fine.

Not to take this thread to different track, but is anyone going to New York Show this weekend?

There are auto shows where you can actually take a ride in the car. Very limited options, but they exist.

Beer and wine bottles on the floor may be the thing from the past. There were none at this year's Capital Audio Fest.

One observation.

One of the rooms, in front of which a lady was giving cookies, had an equipment rack with no equipment on it. Unlike any and all, this one had color. It was red. Cut it some slack for maybe not being the ultimate audio high-end etc. It was politely awsome among all those industrial designs. Not to mention, it was just over $300.

I was more impressed by seeing it than I was by seeing VAC/Von Schweikert system.

I found selection of demo material/music a little misleading, at least for me. Lots of it was acoustic guitars, soft voices that sounded like they were recorded in a very intimate venue just after midnight, jazz, and such. It all sounded impressive at first, that is for sure, but did it really represent what is likely to play on those systems?

There was a room with, pricewise, modest equipment that was playing Dire Straits and bigger Daedalus room that played at least one Bruce Springsteen song. I saw a couple of records that might have been, but they were not playing. Only one room I walked in was playing classical music. One out of 85 (I think I did visit all rooms, many more than once). In one room, I asked a very friendly and polite man who was demoing if he could play some classical next. He happily obliged and we were treated to classical music. Well, it was a female singer with very soft background instruments. It must have been called "classical" but it really was not much different, as far as demoing equipment goes, from any jazz or acoustic music played in most of the rooms. My bad, I did not ask specifically for something a little different.

Out of all those systems, I could compare voices and hear fingers sliding on the guitar neck (that is what a man told us to focus on hearing) but have no idea how Symphony of a Thousand would sound on some undoubtedly high-end system.

Looking at other visitors, I got an impression that most were 40+, easily 50+. Do all of them listen to what was demoed there? Who bought all of those Michael Jackson and Elton John, albums? Not even Rolling Stones. And, beyond puzzling to me, I did not run into any room that played the Beatles. That is music everyone in that age group knows quite well and exists on good quality sound carriers.

jsqt,

Thanks for clarification. It was my fault for forgetting that Luxman has these tube amplifiers. In my defense, they were far.

I hope it was just the room. I was quite underwhelmed in there. Probably personal preference?

I have to agree with Tidal. Unexpectedly great. One of the best there.

I will keep quiet on Daedalus. I am simply and apparently not a good match for them.

Is Devore you are talking about what was in Command AV room? The room that was billed as Luxman but had a few Luxman pieces and none to be heard?